Up until just a few hours ago, chances are you’d never heard of Gerret Gilbert. And why would you? As the freshmen back up to Colt McCoy, he’d racked up a mere 124 yards passing and 11 yards rushing. Chances are he expected little more from his trip to Pasadena than a visit to Disney World and a great sideline seat for the BCS championship game.
Little more then ten minutes into what might have turned into a dominating Texas victory, Gilbert suddenly found himself standing behind a really big football player about to handing him the ball. Three or so very conservative plays later, his running backs failed to punch it in settling instead on a field goal and Texas was on the board.
Not to take anything away from Alabama but I think it’s safe to say they are lucky McCoy got knocked out so early. Through most of the first quarter, the Texas defense was absolutely smothering. Alabama also got off easy after throwing an interception on a botched fake punt and then standing back and watching as Texas smothered a kickoff to regain the ball deep in Bama territory. Alabama managed to hold Texas to field goals on both turnovers but it may have been a much different situation with McCoy at the helm. (McCoy went out shortly after Texas intercepted the fake punt.
I also can’t believe that the impact of losing McCoy didn’t have an impact on the Texas defense. As the realization of what had happened settled in, Alabama took to the ground scoring 24 unanswered points in the second quarter.
I would love to know what happened in the Texas locker room during the half. Did Coach Brown give the speech of a lifetime? Did McCoy pull his team together? Whatever happened, it worked. Texas held Bama to 0 yards in the third quarter (or at least until the last 39 seconds), Gilbert found his passing arm and with only 6:15 left in the game, Texas had pulled to within three points. Not only that but the freshman quarterback threw a beautiful two point conversion in the process.
But then, just as it looked like Texas could pull it off, just as Herbstreet pointed out that the offensive line had protected Gilbert and that he hadn’t been sacked all night, the kid got blind sided from behind giving up the ball on the three yard line. Bama punched it in on their third attempt with only two minutes left.
Gilbert threw another interception which the Tide converted for six but at that point it really didn’t matter. Although the score may show a commanding Alabama win, it was anything but. Texas played a great game and it was disappointing to see them lose in the way they did.
Random Thoughts
How about the post game interview with McCoy. Talk about the words getting stuck in your mouth. He eventually pulled himself together and in his Texas drawl said something about faith and a big rock. The injury sounds strange. Says he can’t feel his arm, like it’s dead. Kind of scary stuff.
What’s with the crowd chanting “SEC.” Please. You almost got your ass handed to you by a freshman quarterback. Give it a break.
Thursday night BCS Championships Blow I’ve been saying this for a while but seriously, these weeknight bowl games have got to go. I’ve tried to watch at least three bowl games this week and I don’t think I’ve made it through an entire game without falling asleep yet. Thank goodness for DVR.
College football needs to end on New Year’s Day. By this point, the BCS Championship feels like an after thought. It would be one thing if it were a playoff situation but it’s not. The only people still watching are Texas/Alabama fans and a handful of college football fanatics. And to be honest, without the drama of McCoy, this fanatic wouldn’t have been nearly so interested in the game.
I was in Phoenix for both Ohio State BCS Championship games and what a difference a week made. Granted the move to Glendale didn’t help but with the Florida game, it felt like we were in the way. The excitement of the Fiesta Bowl was gone, locals were back to work and for the most part, it felt like the game was just another traffic jam. I can’t believe a BCS post Rose Bowl didn’t have the same effect.
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On the SEC chant thing… no kidding, come off it. Most of them were probably Kentucky, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt fans looking for a sense of belonging.